Raccoon found on school bus

MATTHEWS, N.C., Sept. 13 (UPI) -- Authorities in North Carolina say a school bus driver enlisted the help of a security officer to get rid of an unwanted passenger -- a raccoon.

Annette Privette Keller, a spokeswoman for Matthews police, said the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools bus driver discovered the raccoon as she was pulling into Butler High School to pick up students Monday afternoon, The Charlotte Observer reported Tuesday.

The driver and security officer chased the animal off the bus and called police because they "both thought the raccoon was acting strangely," Keller said.

Police shot and killed the raccoon near a wooded area.

"Nobody involved -- the driver, the security officer, or police -- came in contact with the raccoon, so there is no need for rabies shots," the spokeswoman said.